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Sports Management

Sometimes you learn. Sometimes you win. Sports go beyond the field of play. Learn the business of sports and recreation with classes that focus on sports analytics, legal issues, branding and pricing and contracting. Be a winner, like our students who have built and maintained websites, attended sport business conferences, served on committees for leadership development programs and designed campaigns for re-branding a franchise.

All Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) – Sports majors fulfill their academic requirements for graduation by completing 121 hours of course work which, includes a minimum of 200-contact hours in a sports or recreation internship experience.

What You Can Expect From Your Major:

The purpose of the Tiffin University Sports Management major is to promote, stimulate, and guide study, research, and professional career development in the area of sport and recreation management (broadly interpreted). A primary component of the program is an integration of theory with practical requirements.

Your Ticket To The Big Time

TU notables include the NFL Vice President of Player Development, a majority team owner of a minor league franchise, an NFL scout, a former Assistant GM, a two-time NFL Super Bowl wide receiver, and a PGA tournament director. In 2009-2010, students interned with the Cleveland Indians, Women’s Sports Foundation, Salem Red Sox, LRMR (LeBron James) Marketing Company, Lake Erie Monsters, Columbus Crew, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.

Several courses in The BBA and MBA are taught by a certified NBA sports agent, President of the National Olympians Association in Sierra Leone [Africa] and the former Director of Media Relations for the Boston Celtics and Marketing Coordinator for the Atlanta Braves.

Sports Management Club - The student-led Sports Management club meets the first Wednesday of the month during the school year to coordinate practicum opportunities. Members work many of the TU athletic events and organize a co-ed volleyball tournament fundraiser. The past several years have featured speakers from Cleveland Cavaliers, NHL Columbus Blue Jackets; The Ohio State University Athletic Department; the Detroit Tigers; and the National Fastpitch Softball League. For the past few years the club has financed student members to attend the Ohio Parks and Recreation Student Conference, the NCAA Women’s Leadership Symposium; and special tours with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dayton Dragons.

Core Curriculum of the School of Business 18 hours
Sports core 15 hours
Concentration 15 hours

SRM160 Introduction to Sport and Recreation Management

LAW260 Legal Issues in Sports and Recreation

SRM360 Business of Sports

SRM405 Sports Analytics

SRM475 Internship and Professional Development Seminar

Total BBA hours 121

This is a sample course sequence to illustrate course offerings for this major. Consult the official Academic Bulletin for detailed registration and advising information.

On Campus - Offered in a 15-week semester format with a start date of January and August

Introduction to Sports and Recreation Management (SRM160) - This course will give students a fundamental understanding of the career avenues in sport and recreation. Industry specialists present an eclectic orientation of the sport and recreation field. Academic topics include industry definitions, evolution, curriculum components, experiential learning, career and internship opportunities, applied and theoretical research, leadership, governance and ethics.

Business of Sport (SRM360) - Course covers topics relating to league structures, the management of sporting clubs, branding and pricing, sponsorship, media contracting, financial valuation and facilities development in a variety of sport settings. The primary method of instruction is case development and analysis. This is a writing intensive course.

Sports Analytics (SRM405) - The focus of this class is applying analytic techniques to the decisions that athletes, coaches, general managers, and other decision makers encounter in the sports world. Tools used in the class will include statistics, probability, regression analysis and hypothesis testing.

Internship and Professional Development Seminar (SRM475) - Students majoring in Sport and Recreation Management or Hospitality and Tourism will be required to gain a minimum of 150 hours of volunteer or paid practicum experience related to their chosen field. Hours may be accumulated from May 15 during the summer preceding the class. In addition, the course will cover such elements as interviewing, dining etiquette and business career information.

Faculty

Rick A. Goeb, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Sports Management

School of Business

Degrees & Certificates

B.S., North Dakota State University

M.A., University of Northern Colorado

Ph.D., University of North Dakota

Rick A. Goeb, Ph.D.

Before joining Tiffin University in 2017, Professor Goeb taught Sports Management at the University of Northwestern Ohio including sport marketing classes and co-lead the American Marketing Association to a first place finish in the Nation at the 2017 AMA National Conference for the Top Small Chapter in the United States.

For 12 years, Dr. Goeb served as Director of Athletics at Bemidji State University where he successfully fundraised for a 65 million dollar facility that is home to the BSU men’s and women’s NCAA Division I hockey teams. He demonstrated specialized skills in selling priority seating, club seating and suites raising revenues over 700% in one year. Under his leadership, the hockey team appeared in the 2009 Frozen Four and football, basketball and track won conference championships.

Dr. Goeb is a former NCAA National Champion wrestler and is in the North Dakota State University Hall of Fame. He was a head college wrestling coach at St. Cloud State in Minnesota. Other top accomplishments include receiving the Herb Brooks Outstanding Service Award where he has served on many active committees. One of his teaching passions is to connect students to the community to participate in event management and marketing opportunities that benefit both the Tiffin community and the student.

Dr. Goeb loves to spend time with his wife Carol and his children Amber, Anna, and Jordan. Studying all facets of sport continues to be a life-long adventure and passion.

Bonnie S. Tiell, D.S.M.

Professor of Management

School of Business

Degrees & Certificates

M.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Sports Administration

B.S., Troy University – Physical Education N-12

Bonnie S. Tiell, D.S.M.

Bonnie Tiell, who earned her Doctor of Education degree in sports management from the United States Sports Academy (USSA), is a professor of sport management at Tiffin University. She has been widely recognized for her contributions to intercollegiate athletic administration and global sports governance. Tiell is the founder and co-director of the Olympic Academic Experience (OAE), a program through Tiffin University that offers students from around the world the opportunity for on-site study of the organization, supervision, and management of international sport venues and elite competition in an Olympic host city. She is also co-founder of a humanitarian program for underprivileged youth in Olympic host cities with two-time Olympian, Dr. Francis Dove-Edwin, who serves as co-director.

Tiell received Tiffin University’s Provost award in 2017, the highest recognition for faculty at the institution. In 2016, she was recognized as Woman of the Year in Sports by the Cleveland Chapter of Women in Sports and Events (WISE). In the same year, it was the second time she was the recipient of the Region 4 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). Tiell also received the Donahue Service Award in 2013 from NCAA II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference.

In 2014, Tiell was named USSA Alumnus of the Year. She currently serves as a member of the Academy’s National Faculty, a prestigious group of educators who teach international sport administration and coaching programs abroad. In 2017, Tiell participated in the Academy’s program to teach sports management to students from the Sports Authority of Thailand in Bangkok. She taught the Academy’s International Certification in Sports Management program, which prepares participants for leadership roles in sport. In 2018, she is administering a similar program for the Federation of Disabled Sports in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Tiell is also co-founder of the Women’s Leadership Symposium, a program partially financed and now administrated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Women Leaders in College Sports. The three-day program facilitates the entry, retention, and advancement of females in intercollegiate athletics.

A published scholar of almost 100 articles and manuscripts, Tiell authored a textbook for Jones & Bartlett on “Human Resources in Sports: A Managerial Approach” in 2017. The book features best practices, case studies, global spotlights and industry voices from respected executives from every facet of the sports industry. Tiell has traveled across five continents speaking and delivering sport education programs.

Tiell is spearheading a “Salute to Olympians” week in Tiffin, Ohio in 2018 which will feature a slate of activities involving Olympic athletes and coaches from multiple countries. She led a group of 17 students and scholars in the 4th Olympic Academic Experience during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil highlighted by programs at the Olympic Reunion Center, the Brazilian Sailing Federation Headquarters, and at the 8th International Sport Business Symposium which featured executives from the IOC and local organizing committees. The Salute to Olympians Week will coincide with the opening of registration for participating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Academic Experience.

In her faculty role at Tiffin University, Tiell served as the NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative, Dean of Graduate Studies, and MBA Chair. She also taught in the Executive MBA program in Bucharest, Romania. Prior to her faculty appointment, Tiell served as Senior Woman Administrator and an assistant athletic director. She is a member of the TU Hall of Fame for her extensive coaching accolades. She has coached volleyball, softball (1993 national qualifier), and tennis (2006 national qualifier) for Tiffin University. She also coached briefly at Alfred University in New York (volleyball and track) and at Peace College in North Carolina (basketball - assistant).

Tiell she holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Troy University, a master’s degree in sports administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a doctorate in Sports Management from the USSA. She writes a monthly column for the Advertiser-Tribune focusing on economic, global, and social issues in sport. She and her husband, Greg, reside in Tiffin, OH. Their oldest daughter (Kimberly) is a sales manager in Atlanta, GA and their youngest (Katie) is a student-athlete (swimming) studying communications and emerging media while minoring in sport management at Lynn University in Boca, Raton, FL.

Testimonials

"I chose TU because of its reputation for excellence, national recognition, many extracurricular opportunities and because it offers in a small, diverse college environment. I have learned the significance of academics, leadership, diversity, communication, and relationships. TU allowed me to get out of my comfort zone in order to lead and inspire. It has prepared me to make wise and imperative decisions that will benefit me in my career and my life.”

– Ivan Santiago, Class of 2015

"Tiffin University was my top choice when searching for colleges. I knew with nationally recognized Criminal Justice Programs, I would receive the best education for my future career goals. Because my undergraduate experience was so positive and rewarding, I have pursued my Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice at TU working as a graduate assistant for First-Year Programs. As a GA, I have been able to give back to an institution that has given so much to me and my fellow classmates. Go Dragons!”

– Sean M. Durocher, Class of 2015

I could not have asked for better faculty. I love how small the class sizes are because I really know the majority of my professors pretty well. More importantly, they know me really well and are aware of my future goals and aspirations. I know that I could seek help from any one of my mentors and they would give me the best advice that they had.

-Beata Krembuszewski '17

"I chose Tiffin because it is a university with people from all parts of the world, and the fact I could be here and meet all of them is simply amazing. Better yet, I came here for swimming and it was an honor for me to be a part of TU’s newest athletic program.”

- Ygor Bortolato, Brazil

"Tiffin University is the college that has helped me grow into the person that I am today. While at Tiffin, I have made unforgettable memories and friends. I continued my education at The University of Toledo College of Law. Although I am moving on, I will never forget everything I have gained from my time at Tiffin University."